3 notes and a quote: MSU vs. Alabama

STARKVILLE – After showing a lot of promise earlier this season, Mississippi State freshman Gavin Ware has been very quiet lately on offense.
The 6-foot-9 forward has scored a total of 10 points in three SEC games, and he had just four in Wednesday’s 75-43 loss to Alabama. Ware was scoreless in the first half.
With only seven healthy scholarship players available, MSU is short-handed everywhere, including the frontcourt. The other scoring options there are Roquez Johnson and Colin Borchert.
Those two combined for eight points Wednesday, and MSU had trouble finding offense in the paint. The Bulldogs were outscored 38-18 in that area.
“We were just taking quick shots, and we weren’t looking inside to Gavin,” guard Fred Thomas said. “We weren’t looking inside enough tonight.”
Steele struggles
After scoring a career-high 21 points at Georgia on Saturday, junior guard Jalen Steele had a quiet night. He finished with five points on 2 of 8 shooting. He made just 1 of 5 from 3-point range.

Player of the gameFred Thomas scored a team-high 10 points, making 4 of 8 shots. His two 3-pointers in the first half kept MSU close.

Quotable
“We were playing too fast-paced. They were trying to speed our game up which they did.” – MSU guard Jalen Steele

Next game
MSU pays a visit to Tennessee (8-7, 0-3 SEC) at 3 p.m. Saturday. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.